Lose yourself in the world of books at Gangaram's

Gangaram's Book Bureau is one of the oldest bookstores in Bangalore and a very prominent landmark in the city!

Lose yourself in the world of books at Gangaram's

When you enter Gangaram's, you are greeted with an intoxicating smell of fresh books coming from every nook and cranny of the store. Inviting you to come and explore a world of beautiful imagination and immense knowledge. This is definitely one of those few places where many of us have spent beautiful afternoons browsing through the various levels and sections of its magnificent glory and collection. Like a good friend, Gangaram's has stayed with many of us through all stages of our lives. When young, it was here that we would rush to the store with our folks to buy our books for the next academic year.

When competitive exams came knocking, it saved us the blushes with guides, tutorials and mock test books on almost every possible topic. All the while, it kept us hooked to the beauty of the wiser words by bringing us books from all over the world under one roof. School prizes for academic performance and discount coupons of Gangaram's brought us unparalleled joy. For years, notes were scribbled on and surreptitious messages were exchanged on Gangarams' notebooks. And as years pass by we can’t help but rejoice in rekindling those fond memories of the store that we have in hearts.

The iconic bookstore on MG road has been the refuge of every bibliophile in the city for 34 years now. “We started in 1965 as the Bangalore Book Bureau at Kapali Theatre complex. We later shifted to MG Road on May 9, 1977 and that time we just had one floor of books,” recalls Prakash Gangaram, owner of Gangaram Book Bureau. They have come a long way since 1977 and today they boast of three floors, and each floor is dedicated to various sections of books and stationery which will entice your souls and make you dive in a reading spree. “The first floor of Gangaram is called the Gangaram Gallery, which is purely dedicated for stationery items (except books) like greeting cards, planners, diaries and calenders to name a few.

The second floor is purely dedicated for books on gardening, travel and cooking. You will also find a variety of coffee table books too. The other part of the floor is dedicated to books on computers, engineering, medical and etc. The third floor is completely stacked with fictions and non-fictions tome,” says Gangaram who discontinued the operation on the fourth floor (which was dedicated for CD's ) after his father’s demise and he currently uses that floor for accounting and warehousing.

At Gangaram’s they just believe in one mantra, i.e to have, ‘The right book at the right time’ and it holds true as you will be spoilt for choice when it comes to variety here. Gangaram’s thus houses millions of books on every topic under the sun,
which might be a little intimidating but it invites each one with
open arms to explore the wealth and wisdom it encloses within its walls. “We like to give our customers a wide range of books on every single topic. So, apart from having the best sellers we also have other books which would cater to an individual’s need and provide more exposure to the subject,” says Gangaram who is the walking encyclopedia to his customers who loves to guide customers in choosing a book.

The iconic landmark might soon find itself another shelter by late this year. “We were about to shift to St. Marks Road above Koshy’s. But then we are a little apprehensive about it because two out of three architects whom we contacted have warned us about the structure being old. They have warned us that the building cannot take the weight of so the books. So, in case if we are shifting to that premises then we will try to strengthen the foundation or just look for another place,” he states.

Prakash Gangaram feels that reading in India has finally gained its momentum and people are profusely buying books despite the whole online reading culture. “A lot of people still want to hold and the smell the book when they are reading. Reading is an experience and it can be thoroughly rejoiced when you hold the book in your hands. The online culture is predominant in the US and other countries because people there travel often,” says Gangaram who also sources books for his customers from US and UK.

1 comments

my first job was in gangaram as salesman, I was 17 when i had been employed and it was a beautiful experience. While on job I had the opportunity to browse several books where i gained immense knowledge in various fields. Mr.Gangaram who was the proprietor then was a kind and sympathetic man and he gave me all the support to carry out my job.